Back in July, bantamweight and Rising Son MMA founder Lah Thao proposed the question as to whether or not he’s “still got it”. His first test since December of 2007 came against Seth Marquez at Konquer the Kage’s “Biker Brawl”, which injected itself with the craziness that is the annual Tomahawk Fall Ride. It couldn’t have been more evident that not only does Thao still have it, but the undefeated fighter has made his way back in top form, and can quickly ascend the ranks at 135 pounds once again.

The long-awaited battle was bittersweet for all those who waited so patiently to see it, as it took Thao just under two minutes to put away Chosen Few’s Marquez. Coming out early with devastating leg kicks, Thao drew “oos” and “ahhs” from the crowd, especially after one of such kicks sent Marquez stumbling down to his knees. Rushing in to thrown down an onslaught of blows, both fighters scrambled on the mat, neither able to control the other’s posture or put themselves in a dominant ground position. Thao, however, found a slight opening to attempt a knee bar during the struggle, but was unable to lock it in as “El Nino” rolled free. But what looked like a mistake from Lah, ultimately ended the bout.

Twisting out of the knee bar attempt, Marquez ended up on top in Thao’s full guard, but leaned in too far, giving up his neck. It took a mere split second for Thao to take advantage, slipping in the forearm and cinching it tight around Marquez’s neck, prompting a near immediate tap. The guillotine choke at 1:47 provided an exclamation point to a long layoff and hard worked comeback for Thao, and it also earned him the Wisconsin Combat Sports Submission of the Day. Marquez moves to 6-5 after the disappointing loss.

The professional debut of John Barker (Sixel’s Fight Club) was abruptly cut short by veteran Omar Choudhury (Roufusport) in the co-main event of the day. Stepping into the cage at 11-6 overall, Choudhury was able to submit Barker in just 46 seconds, after an aggressive beginning left Barker vulnerable to the jiu-jitsu brown belt. From the onset, Barker wasted little time in engaging with Choudhury, pushing him back against the fence in the clinch, and methodically worked down to the legs to earn a takedown. However, Choudhury was able to use the wall to his advantage, grabbing hold of Barker’s left arm and, while upside-down, locking in an arm bar that forced Barker to submit.

The third and final professional bout featured Chris “Swiss” Befera, who has been on fire since his debut, having won five in a row leading up to Saturday’s matchup with Rising Son’s Jeremy Hemmrich. This battle also was decided in quick fashion, as Befera needed only 45 seconds to pound out a TKO victory. The Next Level fighter from Baraboo, WI came out of his corner with a flurry to begin the action, quickly pushing Hemmrich back against the cage and knocking him to the mat. Easily passing to side control, Befera was able to land some hard shots to the temple and nose of Hemmrich. However, a somewhat controversial conclusion, at least from the opinion of the Tomahawk fans, developed after Hemmrich remained down against the fence after guest referee Herb Dean had called a stop to the contest. Hemmrich was noticeably grimacing in pain, holding the back of his head, as one or two of Befera’s strikes may have caught him near the base of the skull during the frenzied exchange. Despite the injury, Befera was rightfully awarded a submission victory as Hemmrich had tapped out due to strikes.

With the emergence of Befera, Wisconsin Combat Sports has also learned that he will challenge Ken Sitsler on October 31st at KTK 29 in Stevens Point for the 135-pound title.

Adrian Pierson (Sixel’s Fight Club) prompted a massive eruption for the crowd on-hand after dropping Dave Phillips (Rising Son) with a right hook, rendering Phillips limp and collapsing to the canvas. Pierson added to insignificant, extracurricular blows to the devastated Phillips before Herb Dean stepped in to save him. The bout opened on a different note, however, with Phillips connecting with a strike of his own early that dropped Pierson, who was able to recover. Now underneath of Phillips on the mat, Pierson gained leverage and used it to lift Phillips and slam him hard. Nothing of significance came in the ground game, though, and the both fighters got back to their feet, where Pierson subsequently delivered the Wisconsin Combat Sports Knockout of the Day punch just before the first-round horn at 2:57. Phillips remained motionless on the KTK mat for several minutes as medical staff attended to him, but he was, although woozy, ultimately able to walk off under his own power.

Matt Thompson (Serrano) and Tony Ort (Rising Son) battled in the Wisconsin Combat Sports Fight of the Day. Ort came out flying, literally, with a flying knee attempt that missed and landed him on the ground underneath Thompson. Connecting with short elbows and small strikes, Thompson controlled much of the action on the mat. Ort looked to improve his position by wall walking, but it left him open to getting mounted by Thompson, who couldn’t hold the dominant position and was reversed upon by Ort as the round came to a close. Round Two saw Ort come out a little less aggressively, standing at distance and throwing a few leg kicks. Thompson recognized the strategy, and caught Ort’s leg on one of the kick attempts, working a takedown. Passing to side control, Thompson looked to control the arm and shoulder of Ort and try to lock in a kimura, but in the process distracted Ort enough that he passed to mount once again. This time, Tony was unable to reverse the position, and after numerous blows reigned down from Thompson, Ort submitted due to strikes at 2:25 of the second frame.

Other bouts that ended via tapout included the cage debut of hometown favorite Michael Habeck (Lions Lair), who found himself having to submit after 2:15 with Ishmael Pachaco (Rising Son). Adam Cope (Sixel’s Fight Club) earned a “W” against Team Amos’ Will Gillete by way of a second-round guillotine choke. Tyler Greenwood (Heavy Hitters) utilized a rear naked choke to grab a win in his welterweight matchup with Zech Bant at 2:08 of the opening period. Similarly, Dave Vang (Rising Son) also forced his opponent, Jamie Lane, to submit due to sunk in rear naked choke at 1:59 of round number two. Jarred Faulkes (Rising Son) used the same method, putting away Tyler Cummings in 2:34.

Bloody, bruised and battered, Dustin Cummings and Dustin Fischer (Rising Son) fought to a draw on the judges’ scorecards. The three rounds were scored: 29-28 Cummings, 29-28 Fischer, and 28-28.

Iggy Zambrano (Team Amos) worked over Rhinelander’s Marcus McFee in 1:10 of the very first round, connecting with a devastating flurry of knees and strikes, enough to prompt the referee to intervene and grant Zambrano a TKO win.

Moriel Chareski (Likes BB Academy) and Stephanie Schneider (Sixel’s Fight Club) met in a women’s mixed martial arts battle. Chareski largely dominated the action after the two fighters traded strikes, and worked a takedown into side control, and connected with enough punches to induce a verbal submission from Schneider.

Main Event
135 – Lah Thao (Rising Son, WI) def. Seth Marquez (Chosen Few, WI) R1 1:47 – Submission (Guillotine)

Professionals
125 – Omar Choudhury (Roufusport, WI) def. John Barker (Sixel’s, WI) R1 :46 – Submission (Armbar)
145 – Chris Baffera (Next Level, WI) def. Jeremy Hemmrich (Rising Son, WI) R1 :45 – Submission (Strikes)

Amateurs
HWT – Ishmael Rachaco (Rising Son, WI) def. Michael Habeck (Lions Lair, WI) R1 2:15 – Submission (Guillotine)
185 – Matt Thompson (Serrano, WI) def. Tony Ort (Rising Son, WI) R2 2:25 – Submission (Strikes)
155 – Adrian Pierson (Sixel’s, WI) def. Dave Phillips (Rising Son, WI) R1 2:57 – Knockout
HWT – Adam Kope (Sixel’s, WI) def. Will Gillete (Team Amos, CA) R2 :17 – Submission (Guillotine)
185 – Jarred Faulkes (Rising Son) def. Tyler Cummings (Independent, WI) R1 2:34 – Submission (RNC)
HWT – Iggy Zambrano (Team Amos, CA) def. Marcus McFee (Sixel’s) R1 1:10 – TKO (Strikes)
170 – Tyler Greenwood (Next Level, WI) def. Zech Bant (Independent, WI) R1 2:08 – Submission (RNC)
205 – Dustin Cummings (Independent, WI) vs. Dustin Fischer (Rising Son, WI) – Draw
155 – Dave Vang (Rising Son, WI) def. Jamie Lane (Independent, WI) R2 1:59 – Submission (RNC)

Women
Moriel Chareski (Likes BB Academy, WI) def. Stephanie Schneider (Sixel’s, WI) R1 1:16 – Submission (Strikes)

KTK 27 Biker's Brawl - Photo Highlights

KTK 27 -- Quick Results

Lah Thao To Fight Marquez at KTK 27, Talks Inception of Rising Son (Updated) (AUDIO INTERVIEW)

Comments (23)

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Mike Hansen said:

I hope sanctioning happens soon!! I watched some very poor matchmaking at this event. One fight had someone who was supposedly 0-1 fighting some one who is 7-3. There were more examples of this throughout the day. I realize guys wanna fight, but someone needs to be looking out for the safety and longevity of the fighters. I think (and hope) that alot of this sort of thing will be dealt with when sanctioning happens. Fewer promotions (quality over quantity) = better fights and safer shows. Also why is that KTK can pay ammys, yet other shows like EFC and Combat USA can't. This is another thing that needs to be settled. Can ammys get paid or not?

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September 21, 2009
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Kru Bear said:

... For what it's worth I'd just like to defend KTK here as they have always been fair to my fighters. Matchmaking has to be THE TOUGHEST position in any promotion. Just attempt to fill a fight card with all the other promotions running fights on or near yours, it's down right impossible. I will give kudos any day of the week to a reputable matchmaker like Corey Christophersen, Mike Carbajal, Pat O'Malley, Duke Roufus the list goes on. This is hands down the toughest position and to get thirteen or more quality fights is quite impossible. Yes you are going to have unfair match ups, but that is why the fighters and their coaches can always say "NO!". As far as KTK paying ammys, they give them $100 for travel, hotel etc. They don't "pay" them, they just won't give em a hotel, like other, so the $100 is for a room, food, gas etc. Just give them some credit for the quality of shows they are able to put on, not the one or two bad match ups.

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September 21, 2009
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Corey Christophersen said:

... Mike Hansen, First I would like to address your claim of the mismatches. The records of the fighters that are announced are from the info the fighters fill out themselves. I know some of the fighters are involved in other combat sports such as Jiu Jitsu, Pankratiion, Judo, Boxing etc. Sometimes those guys incorrectly state those numbers on their announcers cards. The one matchup that could be questioned was Choudury vs Barker. There were basically 3 options at 125lbs. for Barker: Rob Mondloch, Omar Choudury, and Sam Thao. Barker had already fought Rob (to a draw). I told his trainer he had one of two options, fight Omar or Sam at 125 or someone with less experience at 135. They chose the 125 option and Omar (by default because Sam was not availible to fight at this show). Next I will address the Ammy pay statement. As stated by Kru Bear above KTK does not give ammy's Hotel rooms food vouchers or payment for fighting. They get a flat $100 for travel, hotel, gas etc. win or lose. Now I will address the lack of knowledge and ignorance in your statement critizing my matchmaking and the commision eliminating this and that. First off I was one of the first people approched by the people involved in trying to get the sport sanctioned in WI. I am one of a handful of people on the "Commitee to Support the Regulation of MMA in WI". I just double checked and was puzzled when I did not see your name on there since you seem to be an expert on such matters. Secondly WCS knows so little about the sport that they had the nerve to award me and KTK's shady mismatching asses with the "2008 Fight Card of the Year Award" And last but not least, teams such as: Roufusport, Rising Son, Team Sixel, Chosen Few, Panoply, Nuff Said, Next Level, Heavy Hitters, Orderd Chaos, Matamoros BJJ, Third Heaven, Reality Martial Arts, Fox Vally Grappling Club, Green Bay JJ, Nuetral Grounds, Waukesha MMA, Third Heaven, Serrano's, Metz's Combat Club, American School of Martial Arts, Team Crazy, Likes BB Academy, Twin Ports MMA, and numerous others have been sending fighters to fight for KTK (most of them for over 3 years). I guess now because you have done your homework, researched me and KTK, and exposed us to the world as the shady outfit that we are, I better get a job as the produce manager at County Market in town because Mike Hansen brought my MMA career to an end. Corey Christophersen Matchmaker Konquer the Kage MMA P.S. Was that you who rang my doorbell and ran off last night?

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September 21, 2009
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T. Hartman said:

... Hey Corey, I am a big fan of the KTK orginization and have been apart of it. I know at the pre-fight meetings you say not to ask you questions about the DVD's, but im going to ask you a question about when will the July 25th KTK 26 DVD be available? it is not up on the website, and the event took place a couple months ago, just wondering because i am a avid fan and would like to watch some of those fights again. Keep up the Great work with KTK, thanks again P.S i know you prolly don't know about the DVD release, i just thought i would check

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September 21, 2009
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Mike Hansen said:

Whoa whoa whoa, pump the brakes!! You folks got me all wrong! I am not trying to expose anybody to the world. You really gotta relax. I meant that there were some seemingly ill advised matchups. On your part and the individuals involved. I never blamed KTK or Corey soley, and I apologize if it seemed as such. Of course I know about the forms, as I have filled out a few myself. I also know how easy it would be to lie on them. One of the cats that came from California openly told me that he had more fights than he told you guys. However, I do realize that it is up to a fighter and his coach/manager to make a sensible decision. I never accused KTK of being shady for paying ammys. It just seemed that the $100 was a purse, not a reimbursment. I simply wanted to know why KTK does and others don't. If I'm wrong, thank you for correcting me and please accept my apology. Back to Jonny vs Omar. Seeing as how you are present on WCS, I wonder why you couldn't get on Myspace or MMA recruiter or one of the other dozens of web sites that have fighters listed and hungry to fight. Is it because you don't want someone from Michigan, Illinois or Minnesota? Again no disrespect to Corey or KTK, I am just curious. I never claimed to be an expert. My concern is meant more for these smaller less decent guys who want to make a buck on MMA. I have attended shows that didn't have a doctor present and left it up to the individual to get his own staples/stitches. I am just hopeful that the sanctiong will allow for a better system of keeping track of fighter history so that promoters and fighters can choose the right fights to take and which to pass on. Having said all of that, there is a point I should have made earlier. The KTK show that I attended was actually very well run. I really liked the cage that they use and most of the staff were pretty cool. I like that you guys gave extra attention to the fighters with the National Anthem/fighter parade. That was a nice touch. After meeting you Corey, I thought that you were one of the good guys. We talked about how there should be fewer more quality shows in Wi. I thought that yours was one of them. I never attacked you or your "MMA career"!! PS. If I take the time out of my life to ring your doorbell in the middle of the night you better believe that I will be standing there when you open the door.

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September 22, 2009
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Corey Christophersen said:

... Mike, I got no less than 10 phone calls yesterday from people all over the state saying that someone was blasting us on this site. People along with myself felt that you were taking a shot at me and KTK. I don't know how your comments posted on a story about our show could be perceived in any other way. I did not put together who you were and that I had talked to you at the weigh ins until after I posted my response. I laid the sarcasm on a little thick but felt I needed to defend KTK and myself from some of your statements. Whether intentional or not your statements might have made us look bad to someone who doesn't know us and I felt I had to address it. We take things like that seriously because we are trying to provide the fighters with a fair and safe environment to fight. There is a promotion real close to you that matches alot of their fighters up the day of the fights, and another that just tried to do a show in the area and bounced a bunch of checks to fighters. I guess in the future lets address each others concerns in a different environment and not overshadow a good article about the fights and fighters. Corey

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September 22, 2009
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Mike Hansen said:

Well said. Again I apologize for using this article to express my concerns for an entirely different topic. Bad taste on my part. I did not like the fight between Jonny and Omar because Jonny is a friend and training partner and I knew Omar is monster. I see and hear about the clowns who are trying to make some coin off of fighters and it really makes me want to see some laws put into place to keep everyone on the level. Part of my problem is that fighters can lie about their records with no reprecussions. I also don't like that guys can come from others states saying that they are 1-0 when they acually are 6-0. One cat told me that he had 6 fights before he fought on Saturday. Maybe I am just a dreamer. I really hope that this all squashed. I would like to fight for you in the future if you would have me. Mike.

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September 22, 2009
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Corey Christophersen said:

	... It's squashed.
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September 22, 2009
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Finch said:

... Mike Hansen: First off, why must you bash or point out any certain person or organization on their abilites to put on from what I thought, a very well run show. If you have never been in the position yourself to run a huge event such as an MMA show don't try and say, "quality over quanity", especially if you could not do any better yourself. It is not the match makers responsiblility to make sure a fighter is not lying about how many fights they may or may not of had. Each fight is match up to the best knowledge of the match maker from the information that is given to them by a coach or the fighter themself. Second off, having a 0-12-0 record in your fighting career, as recorded by sherdog.com, I think you should consider what the term "fair fight" means. If things went your way you would be in the cage with Pippy Longstockings and Little Red Riding Hood. Now I think that would be a fair match up!

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September 22, 2009
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Mike Hansen said:

WOW!! Finch, I don't even know where to start with you. First off, this thing has been squashed between Corey and I. I already said that I went about expressing my concerns in the wrong place. I was not trying to call out KTK, but I understand how it was perceived that way. I also said in my last post that I thought KTK was well run. It was a misunderstanding. Speaking of misunderstandings, I think you should take into account that the name Mike Hansen is pretty common. Apparently Sherdog's statistics are for a different Mike Hansen. According to their stats for Mike Hansen, my first fight was in '05. I have only been competeing in this sport for about a year and a half, so that is impossible. Considering I have only had 5 fights to include a couple of nice knockouts, I guess 0-12-0 is not my record. If you are silly enough to believe everything you read on the internet then you probably believe aliens are walking among us, or Elvis is still alive. Maybe you should take your own advice about bashing someone, unless you are sure you know what and who you are talking about. C'mon man. Mike

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September 22, 2009
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rob mondloch said:

	... You can't believe everything you read on the internet. Thats how world war 1 got started.
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September 23, 2009
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Mike Hansen said:

	... Exactly. You know we Vietnam cause of the internet though.
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September 23, 2009
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Ken Sitsler said:

	... Holy shit this turned into a PS3 commercial!!! LOL
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September 23, 2009
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Mike Hansen said:

	It's sad I did want to say congrats to to Lah for an incredible showing. Hope to meet you again.
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September 23, 2009
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chris skoglund said:

	... im lookin to fight for ktk oct 31st. who do i contact?
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September 23, 2009
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Mike Hansen said:

	... Their website has a place to contact them if you want to fight.
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September 23, 2009
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Corey Christophersen said:

	... corey at ktk1.com
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September 23, 2009
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Brad Schjoth said:

	... Seventeen comments and only two or three are actually about the article specifically. Haha.
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September 23, 2009
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Maxwell Destree said:

	... Nice article Brad. There, now you have three or four comments that are about the article specifically.
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September 24, 2009
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Ken Sitsler said:

	... hey. Did you see the amazing picture of Lah ground and pounding in this article? There Brad your up to 5!!! LOL
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September 24, 2009
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Brad Schjoth said:

	... Yeah, it is a great picture, which is odd because the photographer is such a hack.
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September 24, 2009
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Kru Bear said:

	... when will the full photo gallery be up from this event?
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September 24, 2009
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Paul Fladten said:

	... full gallery will be up soon. pics are on route to milwaukee...
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September 25, 2009
Votes: +0

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